Singer-songwriter Rachel Hall, AKA Mariela, started playing alto saxophone in fifth grade in order to avoid having to attend physical education class in Mobile, Alabama. A couple of years later, while in seventh grade, she was performing in her church band. By high school, she was listening to pop-punk bands such as Relient K and had become a fan of John Mayer, whose guitar playing was an early influence on her own quest to master the instrument.
Since relocating to San Diego, she has played numerous local shows at venues such as The Belly Up, The Whistle Stop, and the Soda Bar, and she did a national tour opening for the North Carolina singer-songwriter Flamy Grant in 2024.
She released her debut album The Underglow in October 2025. The album was produced by Tommy E. Nixon and features guitarist Luke Gibson. “When I first started grappling with my own gender identity, I was desperately searching for examples of happy successful transwomen artists, and it was harder to find than it should have been,” says Hall. “Now that I’m safely settled in the joy of my identity and support of my community, Mariela is my platform to show people we all belong and that a fulfilling life full of love and support is out there.”
The album includes songs co-written by The Voice contestants Leah Colon and Sav Walters and Grammy-winner Melody Walker. It also features a reworked version of Don Henley’s eighties hit “The Boys of Summer,” with a “playful, queer twist” that was crafted with the assistance of local singer-songwriter and multiple San Diego Music Awards winner Lindsay White.